*Photo: Regina Rickert
People love to go against the pack and support the underdog. After last night’s dismantling of West Virginia, ESPN’s Ian O’Connor says it is ok to get behind the favorite and to cheer for them to fall in the tournament is “rooting for the second-best story on the board.”
So even if you don’t care for Calipari’s sideline style, his roguish NCAA past or his willingness to push college basketball’s one-and-done reality to the max, there isn’t anything to despise about his team or the way he has coached it. Just like today’s San Antonio Spurs and Atlanta Hawks and just like yesterday’s Lakers and Celtics of Magic and Bird, Kentucky plays basketball at its highest, most team-centric form.
The Wildcats play for one another. They don’t play for multimillion-dollar NBA contracts, though those will be coming soon enough.
Read more: It’s time to root for Kentucky
